To Rebuild The Ethical Foundation; H. Sennholz

TO REBUILD THE ETHICAL FOUNDATION ALBERT SCHWEITZER, in his Decay and Restoration ot Civilization, expressed his hopes for the survival of civ ilization in the following words: "The renewal of civilization has nothing to do with movements which bear the character of experiences of the crowd; these are never anything but reactions to ex ternal happenings. But civilization can only revive when there shall come into being in a number of individuals a new tone of mind independent of the one prevalent among the crowd and in opposition to it, a tone of mind which will gradually win influence over the collective one, and in the end determine its character. It is only an ethical movement which can rescue us from the slough of barbarism, and the ethical comes into existence only in individuals .... " But most men lack character depth and stability. In firm or shaky in our ethical moorings, we are guided by public opinion that is maintained by means of mass Dr. Sennholz heads the Department of Economics at Grove City College, Pennsylvania.

90 TO REBUILD THE ETHICAL FOUNDATION 91 communication. Our opinions are shaped by the press, radio, and television, by financial and other considera tions. Our understanding of ethical, political, and so ciological phenomena is fashioned by heresay and prop aganda, by majority beliefs and decisions. We like to cling to and identify ourselves with popu lar labels. In democratic surroundings we are eager to be good democrats. In a socialistic setting we are good socialists, among communists probably good commu nists, and among conservatives we strive to be good conservatives. But no matter what label appears to be the most fashionable, we are prone to attach the prevailing be liefs and prejudices to the label we adopt. If, for in stance, we choose the conservative label because it ap pears fashionable and personally desirable, we tend to interpret it socialistically if the prevailing opinion is socialistic. As a crowd we thus usurp the fashionable la bels and pervert them with popular notions and preju dices. Old venerable terms, such as democratic, liberal, and even American, thus are changed through usurpa tion and reinterpretation until they now purvey the very opposite of their original meanings.

Lest we become a speck in the crowd of which Schweitzer was speaking we must continuously re-exam ine the religious and ethical foundation to which we are moored. With unrelenting zeal and scrupulous care we must reorient ourselves always anew toward the ethics we profess. Without the greatest alertness we are bound to sink into the shallowness and instability of the mass.

92 HANS F. SENNHOLZ If we believe in the inherent freedom and dignity of man, in his responsibility before his Creator and his fel low men, we must re-examine tirelessly our individual actions and readjust them to the foundation. If we pro fess the principles of a free society, political and eco nomic freedom, individual property and enterprise, we must conform our words and actions to the principles professed. For we relapse into the mind of the crowd if we mean to profess the principles of individual free dom and responsibility, but in our daily affairs advocate collective action and coercion. And yet, this is the com mon failure of which we often are guilty. We aim to be Christian, but sinfully transgress against our fellow men. We claim to be democratic, but advocate the tyranny of government over the people. We speak of ethics,but act ruthlessly and mercilessly. We pride ourselves in being American, but sneer at the dreams of the Founding Fathers. We call ourselves individualists, but mainly trust in collective action. We conveniently use the label "conservative," but clamor for more laws, and government intervention. In short, we echo the col lective tone of mind.

According to Albert Schweitzer's analysis, a few in dividuals must bring into being a new tone of mind in opposition to the one of the crowd. In lonely existence, often despised and misunderstood, they must rebuild the ethical foundation that can give life to a new civilization.